Do you wonder why some people succeed or make it – either in the workplace or with sports – and others just don’t? Grit may be the answer. Grit is courage, resolve, or strength of character.
Gritty people:
- Finish what they start.
- Put forth twice as much effort.
- Are optimistic.
- Identify and fix their mistakes.
- Set a goal and follow through with it.
- Practice, practice, practice!!
Psychologist Angela Duckworth who does research on “Grit” or the blend of passion and persistence has written a number of books and articles on the subject. She says you can predict success by building “Grit”. To have grit you need to stick with goals for years and live life like a marathon, not a sprint!
As parents, teachers or mentors there are a few things to help others learn about and build their “Grit”:
- Encourage reading books where the characters had to overcome a challenge.
- Talk about times you personally had to work hard to achieve something. Share the times you didn’t end up succeeding, but learned a valuable lesson in the process.
- Promote moving on from failures and not focusing on excuses.
Research on gritty individual’s shows that they are more successful – they graduate from school at a higher rate and hold onto their relationships. But a negative the researchers on grit found is that sometimes people stick with goals, ideas, or relationships that should be abandoned. It is hard for them to know when to move on or cut their losses. Sometimes they hold on to these goals so long they damage relationships or even lose money.
So what should we do – work towards “Grit” or “know when to fold”? By learning to reward yourself for the pleasure of the experience of achieving the goal you are working towards, not just the final result we can make our perseverance a good thing. Break our long-term goals down into a number of steps that can be check off along the way – and then feeling success in achieving those short-term goals.
If you want to learn more about “Grit”:
- Watch Angela’s TED Talk on grit at http://go.osu.edu/grit.
- Read or listen to one of the many books on grit that are available for purchase or from your library for free.
- Search “Grit” in the Daily Good – an online portal that shares stories and quotes about goodness.
- Check out the Bowling Green State University Counseling Center “Grit”
- Or if you like sports I find that many of the stories on The Players’ Tribune (an online platform giving stories from athletes to us the fans) display the grit it takes for them to succeed.
I’m sure many of us have stories of the “Grit” it took us to succeed in something. I would love to hear your story or find out about the places you get your inspiration from – comment on this article to let us know what keeps you going and inspires you.
Writer: Lisa Barlage, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Ross County.
Reviewers: Kathy Goins, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Clark County.
Michelle Treber, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Pickaway County.
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